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17m ago

Chunk Wins Fat Bear Week 2025 With 96,350 Votes Over 856

Voters cast over 1.5 million ballots during an exceptional salmon run that eased competition along Brooks River.

Bear 32, Chunk, poses for a photo mid-salmon hunt.
Bear 856 is one of the largest bears in the river.
Image
Bear 32 Chunk in Brooks Falls area of Katmai National Park in Alaska.

Overview

  • Katmai National Park & Preserve and Explore.org announced 32 Chunk as the champion, defeating 856 by 96,350 to 63,725 in the final tally.
  • Chunk returned in June with a broken jaw and quickly adapted to catch and eat salmon, a permanent injury officials say will not fully heal.
  • Organizers estimate Chunk weighs about 1,200 pounds, and bears are not physically weighed during the contest for safety reasons.
  • This year’s bracket drew more than 1.5 million votes and coincided with an unusually large sockeye run, with a ranger estimating roughly 200,000 salmon moving up Brooks River.
  • The victory ends 128 Grazer’s two-year streak, as the 12-bear, single-elimination vote ran Sept. 23–30 to highlight bear survival and the salmon-dependent ecosystem.